In recent years, skiers have been sharing the slopes with those participating in a relatively new sport; snowboarding. Unlike a skier, a snowboarder has both feet strapped or clipped to a single board. Until now, snowboarders have not used poles because holding a pole inhibits a snowboarder's freedom and movement while riding down the slopes. As such, snowboarders are virtually non-ambulatory when on relatively level ground and while getting onto and off of chair lifts designed to accommodate skiers. Because of this, snowboarders have been forced to unbuckle or unclip one foot from the board to awkwardly push themselves along in these situations.
Unbuckling or unclipping one's foot can be a cumbersome task and cannot be done while moving. Additionally, as it is desirable to have both feet securely in place on the board when dismounting the chair lift at the top of a slope, traditionally, a snowboarder would have to either re-buckle or re-clip his free foot to the board while riding the lift or, with no stabilizing aid, he would have to get onto the lift with both feet secured to the board. Both of these situations present potential hazards to the snowboarder's safety.
While the popularity of snowboarding continues to grow, this inconvenience associated with snowboarding on slopes designed for skiers has been sufficient to deter some from attempting the sport and to add unnecessary exertion for those who do participate. Releasable bindings have been the industry focus for the solution to this problem. While one foreign company has developed a strap for attaching two traditional collapsible ski poles to the instep of a snowboarder's boot while back-country riding, snowboarders have yet to have a single, two-handled pole designed specifically for them with collapsible, quick-release capability for easy, immediate deployment in all mountain situations.